Comparative genomics of the DNA damage-inducible network in the Patescibacteria
Sánchez Osuna, Miquel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia)
Barbé García, Jordi (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Genètica i de Microbiologia)
Erill, Ivan (University of Maryland Baltimore County. Department of Biological Sciences)

Date:	2017
Abstract:	Metagenomics provide unprecedented insights into the genetic diversity of uncultivated bacteria inhabiting natural environments. Recent surveys have uncovered a major radiation of candidate phyla encompassing the Patescibacteria superphylum. Patescibacteria have small genomes and a presumed symbiotic or parasitic lifestyle, but the difficulty in culturing representative members constrains the characterization of behavioural and adaptive traits. Here we combine in silico and in vitro approaches to characterize the SOS transcriptional response to DNA damage in the Patescibacteria superphylum. Leveraging comparative genomics methods, we identify and experimentally define a novel binding motif for the SOS transcriptional repressor LexA, and we use this motif to characterize the conserved elements of the SOS regulatory network in Patescibacteria. The Patescibacteria LexA-binding motif has unusual direct-repeat structure, and comparative analyses reveal sequence and structural similarities with the distant Acidobacteria LexA protein. Our results reveal a shared core SOS network, complemented by varying degrees of LexA regulation of other core SOS functions. This work illustrates how the combination of computational and experimental methods can leverage metagenomic data to characterize transcriptional responses in uncultivated bacteria. The report of an operational SOS response in presumed symbiotic and parasitic bacteria hints at an intermediate step in the process of genome reduction.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación BIO2016-77011-R Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-572
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Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Published in:	Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 19, issue 9 (Sep. 2017) , p. 3465-3474, ISSN 1462-2920

DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13826

Postprint 20 p, 1.1 MB

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